日志
佛州瞄准黑人历史，德州共和党对亚裔美国人下手了
||
佛州瞄准黑人历史，德州共和党对亚裔美国人下手了
图：Don Chen 一月份在休斯敦市政府抗议SB147.该法案一旦通过将禁止中国俄国北朝鲜，伊朗公民在德州购买财产或房地产
图源：Jon Shapley/Hearst Newspapers
佛州正在努力把非裔美国人的历史从学校课堂里清除掉，很自然这引起了美国民众很大的关注度。与此同时，同样危险的种族主义事件，悄悄地在德州等地区展开。
如果德州议会 SB147提案获得通过，来自中国、俄罗斯、朝鲜和伊朗的公民将被禁止在德州购买财产或房地产；目前至少有 11 个其他州正在考虑类似的立法。 极端保守“美国立法交流委员会”正在把这些法案当作“模范政策”来推动，就和它积极推动反跨性别立法那样。
因为我们的面孔一目了然，所以这些法律几乎肯定会对亚太裔美国人产生巨大影响，—并且会强化“黄祸论”，渲染我们在美国是永远的外国人。
SB147 以国家安全为由来证明其必要性，但是这所谓的国家安全是个筐什么都可以往里装，这个字眼碾压了美国自由和民主支柱。 该法案把这四个国家当成美国的敌人，尤其是中国：当前歇斯底里态势起因于所谓中国间谍气球外交后果。
无论国家之间的官方外交关系状况如何，这些反自由市场、基于种族歧视的限制性条款都构成对美国价值观的亵渎，是美国历史的耻辱。 提议中的德克萨斯州土地法与以往的种族主义法律惊人地相似。
1913 年 5 月 3 日，加州通过了《外国人土地法》，禁止亚洲移民购买或拥有土地。 1920 年，没有入籍资格的移民被禁止短期租用土地和股份公司，并且不能获得农地。 1923 年，如果你的父母是亚洲移民，如果公司是由亚洲移民控制，都不得租赁或拥有土地。因为日本和中国移民被视为经济威胁，才产生了这样的立法。
于是15个州紧追加州制定了类似的法律。 俄勒冈州的宪法规定，任何“中国人”都不能在该州拥有财产——但“白人外国人”可以享有与当地公民相同的所有权。 幸运的是，这些歧视性法律最终因违反了宪法第 14 条修正案的平等保护条款而被最高法院在 Sei Fuji v. California 案中推翻。
SB147 无视那段历史，发出的信息令人不寒而栗，质疑亚裔美国人对美国的忠诚度——继续渲染永远的外国人的刻板印象。
从表面上看，SB147 不包括美国公民。 但不难看出美国公民在各个方面都将面临该法案影响。
考虑以下假设：一个韩裔美国人家庭联系房地产经纪人帮助购买房屋，而经纪人不了解法律的细微差别或不愿核实他们的移民身份或根本不了解朝鲜和韩国之间的区别，就会拒绝这家人。 如果经纪人无论如何都不喜欢亚洲人，SB147 提供了现成的歧视借口。
如果你觉得这种歧视难以置信，然而德州的许多亚裔美国人确对此不陌生。
像 Kuo Zhang 这样惊恐的德州华裔美国人告诉达拉斯晨报，该法案可能会影响他们的计划。 “我怀孕了，我和老公正计划为我们的大家庭买房子。” 德州 A&M 大学毕业生 Wei Wu 将这些法案描述为仇恨和歧视，并说，“我们住在这里，我们纳税，我们在这里寻求我们的梦想； 我们不应该受到歧视。”
即使你不在乎这些恐惧，要知道：我们的国家也是以法治为基础的。 作为前任法官，我们认为 SB147 及其其他州的类似法案违反了宪法第 14 修正案和 1964 年民权法案第六章的平等保护和正当程序条款。他们不仅违反了公平的基本原则 而平等保障我们的宪法，也是我们国家最基本的道德和正义意识。 它们可耻地倒退到了我们过去最黑暗、最丑陋、最可恨的时期—那个我们勉强幸存下来的那个时期，我们以前以为我们的国家已经摆脱了那样的岁月。
去年，这个国家的反亚裔仇恨犯罪增加了 339%。 SB147 和遍布全国的类似立法将重新针对亚太裔美国人。 这些法案是仇外的、是违宪的，不应被通过。
While much of the country is rightfully preoccupied with Florida’s efforts to eliminate African American history from schools, a quieter but equally dangerous racist development is happening in Texas and beyond.
Don Chen protests against SB147 at Houston City Hall in January. If enacted, the bill would ban citizens from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran from buying property or real estate in Texas.
Jon Shapley/Hearst Newspapers
Texas’s proposed SB147 will, if enacted, ban citizens from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran from buying property or real estate in Texas; at least 11 other states are considering similar legislation. The ultra-conservative American Legislative Exchange Council is pushing many of these bills as a “model policy,” just as it has aggressively promoted anti-transgender legislation.
These laws will almost certainly have a disproportionate impact on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders because we are easier to identify — and will bolster the yellow peril view of us as forever foreigners in our own country.
SB147 justifies its necessity on the grounds of national security, a catch-all phrase to override the pillars of American freedom and democracy. It deems these four countries to be enemies of the United States, especially China — propelled by the current hysteria from the diplomatic fallout over an alleged spy balloon.
Whatever the state of official diplomatic relations between countries, these sorts of anti-free market, race-based discriminatory restrictive covenants are anathema to our nation’s values and have a disgraceful place in American history. The proposed Texas land law is eerily similar to racist laws of the past.
On May 3, 1913, California passed the Alien Land Law prohibiting Asian immigrants from purchasing and owning land. In 1920, immigrants not eligible for citizenship were prohibited from entering short-term leases for land, and stock companies and could not acquire agricultural lands. In 1923 American-born children of Asian immigrant parents or corporations controlled by Asian immigrants were not allowed to lease or own land. These laws were directed at Japanese and Chinese immigrants, based on perceived economic threats.
Fifteen states followed California creating similar laws. Oregon’s Constitution stated no “Chinaman” could own property in the state — but “white foreigners” could enjoy the same ownership rights as native citizens. Fortunately, these discriminatory laws were eventually struck down by the Supreme Court in Sei Fuji v. California as a violation of the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.
SB147 ignores that history to send the chilling message that questions Asian American loyalty to America — perpetuating the forever foreigner stereotype.
On its face, SB147 exempts U.S. citizens. But it’s not difficult to imagine various scenarios where American citizens will face fallout from the bill.
Consider the following hypothetical: A Korean American family contacts a real estate agent to help buy a home and the agent, not understanding the nuances of the law or unwilling to verify their immigration status or simply not understanding the difference between North and South Korea, simply refuses to work with the family. If the agent didn’t like Asians anyway, SB147 offers a ready-made excuse to discriminate.
If this scenario sounds implausible, many Asian Americans in Texas certainly don’t feel that way.
Frightened Chinese American Texans like Kuo Zhang told the Dallas Morning News said the bill could affect their plans. “My husband and I are expecting a baby and we were planning to buy a house for our extended family.” A Texas A&M University graduate named Wei Wu described the bills as hateful and discriminatory, and said, “We are here, we pay taxes, we’re here to seek our dreams; we should not be discriminated against.”
Even if you dismiss these fears, our country is based on the rule of law. As former judges, we believe SB147 and its similar bills in other states violate the equal protection and the due process clauses of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. They not only offend the basic principles of fairness and equal protection of our Constitution, but also our country’s most basic sense of morality and justice. They are a shameful throwback to the darkest, ugliest, most hateful periods of our past — times that we barely survived and that we had imagined our country had risen above.
The nation just endured a 339 % increase in anti-Asian hate crimes last year. SB147 and similar legislation spreading across the country will target Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders anew. The bills are xenophobic, unconstitutional and should not be passed.
Lillian Sing and Julie Tang are retired San Francisco Superior Court judges and co-chairs of the Comfort Women Justice Coalition.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/republican-texas-asian-american-17788908.php
